Talk about mixed messages....

[Frobby]

If the O's had come out of the ASB with three games like these last three, I'd have convinced myself we had a decent chance to get back in the race.   Such a pleasure to watch games when we pitch well, and great to see Gausman get his act together.    

Let's see if Miley can surprise us again tomorrow.   

[Diehard_O's_Fan]

I would think tomorrow would be an automatic loss with Miley on the mound. I am glad the Orioles are winning again but I don't want that to prevent Dan from trading several guys.

[ReclaimTheCrown]

It does make you wonder what the old man is thinking....I believe it was reported Monday afternoon (after the miserable Cubs series) that he'd given authorization to deal some players. Then, we come out and look like an actual baseball team for three straight nights against a not terrible (but pretty meh) Rangers team. 

Selling is still almost certainly the right move, but we do have three against the best team in the AL then three on the road against a quality Tampa team. I do not expect it, but if we, say, win 5 of those next 7 (including tomorrow against Texas), that would put us at a game under with a little momentum. It would probably help us pick up a game or two in the WC (currently 3.5 back). If that happens, I'm not sure Angelos would stomach a sell-off, even of just the guys pre-authorized.

Again, I still think that selling is going to be the right move, but it's interesting that it's much less of a foregone conclusion than it was three days ago.

[wildcard]

I'm rooting for King Felix vs Severino tomorrow.

[Lucky_13]

Still 4 games under .500 

Honestly, they could improve even if they sell. The packages being thrown around for Britton and Brach are full of MLB ready talent. They could make a run at the 2nd wild card this year while also improving the future.

[Cumberbundy]

Trade Britton and win it all.

As always, don't move the Gaus.

[OsFanSinceThe80s]

14 minutes ago, Lucky_13 said:

Still 4 games under .500 

Honestly, they could improve even if they sell. The packages being thrown around for Britton and Brach are full of MLB ready talent. They could make a run at the 2nd wild card this year while also improving the future.

I also like this strategy.  Bullpen could slip some, but the long term potential of adding young MLB talent will pay dividends. 

[InsideCoroner]

This is exactly what I was worried about. Several games just good enough to give the FO doubts about selling and thinking, "Well, maybe with one more Gerardo Parra type corner outfielder, we might have a shot at this crazy thing...!"

Don't get me wrong, I love winning. I just don't sense it's the start of a sustained .600-ball type wave that carries through the second half.

[DirtyBird]

9 hours ago, Roy Firestone said:

I wouldn't get my hopes up.He also faces Cole Hamels. Then the Astros come in. Big mountains to climb. Talk to me after this weekend...

Hamels is 1-3 w/ 4.32 ERA vs the O's

[Camden_yardbird]

I said the Orioles would go 6-7 in the first 13 after the break and Dan would use that as a reason to stand pat.  I'll stand by that statement.  This team can clearly be very competitive when performing at a high level.

[Can_of_corn]

2 minutes ago, Camden_yardbird said:

I said the Orioles would go 6-7 in the first 13 after the break and Dan would use that as a reason to stand pat.  I'll stand by that statement.  This team can clearly be very competitive when performing at a high level.

Isn't that every team?

[Camden_yardbird]

3 minutes ago, Can_of_corn said:

Isn't that every team?

I don't know, what is a high level for the CWS right now and is that competitive with Houston?  Sure, in baseball any team can win on any given night, so o suppose I was talking sustained success is possible.  I realize the statement as written is a bit tautological though.

[TINSTAAPP]

9 hours ago, Lucky_13 said:

Still 4 games under .500 

Honestly, they could improve even if they sell. The packages being thrown around for Britton and Brach are full of MLB ready talent. They could make a run at the 2nd wild card this year while also improving the future.

It would be great if the Orioles can pull a 2016 Yankees and get better after selling. 

[Frobby]

The real issue for me has been and still is the starting pitching.   The three games immediately following the ASB really crushed me, while the last 3 have uplifted me.    But it's really difficult to believe that we are going to see the kind of consistently decent pitching that we'd need to leapfrog over 5 other teams and grab a WC spot.    If I were Duquette I'd be burning up the phone lines to see what deals were out there, and if the deals are good enough and might disappear in a week, then he needs to jump. On the other hand, if the deals are not overwhelming, he can let things play out another week if he needs to, and see what the team does.    Frankly, that's what I expect to happen.   

[jtschrei]

Yeah. I don't think a Scott Feldman acquisition is the right move here. I don't think we need a little piece to get us over the hump.

The question for me is what can we get for Britton or for Brach. Is it possible to get some quality ML ready talent that can help the rotation right now? Could we trade Britton for two starting pitchers? Seems unlikely.